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Purpose:The purpose of this plan is to provide and manage a non motorized recreational area in Silver Dale. The purpose is in
keeping with the Cooperative Management Agreement under which the HDPLC member agencies received former BLM lands in
Public Law 103-253. The Management Agreement states the purpose of the Commission: “to establish cooperative, unified, and coordinated planning of designs and implementation and development of recreational, preservation and educational uses within the subject property.”

Further, according to the agreement, one of the objectives of the Commission is “the identification of historic roadbeds, paths or ways within the subject property which have or could serve as single or
multiple use trails.”

The Lower Silver Dale area is former BLM lands transferred to the Town of Georgetown and the United States Forest Service.
It is easily accessed from the Guanella Pass Road over property held by Historic Georgetown Inc. for conservation purposes.
The network of pathways in Lower Silver Dale has been used for numerous years by walkers, mountain bikers, snowshoers and
cross county skiers. The area is ideal for short walks in the forest over relatively level terrain and, as such, has filled a recreational need
not satisfied on more lengthy USFS and HDPLC trails. Parking is available on the west side of the creek and Historic
Georgetown has provided a footbridge to the trails. The non-motorized use of the area was promoted through identification signing
by the HDPLC. The increased traffic on Guanella Pass, coupled with the desire to diversify the recreational experiences along the Byway as expressed in the Guanella Pass Scenic ByWay Management Plan, suggests that the Silver Dale non-motorized area
be more formally recognized, signed and interpreted. The US Forest Service has also proposed an official ByWay kiosk at the
Silver Dale site which would create additional focus on the area. The boundaries of the proposed Recreational Area were
designed to conform to public, non-profit and utility parcels, contain the historic site of the Colorado Central Mill, and provide for
a number of walking and biking loops.

Boundaries: (see map at top of page)Southern limit: Due east from south entrance to Lower Silver Dale
Western limit: Guanella Pass Road
Northern limit: From Krueger property line due east to private properties, (Capital Central No 6
and Wide West claims), around private properties and due east to intersection with eastern limit.
Eastern limit: From the southern most switchback on the Chicago Lake Road due north to the
Intersection with the northern limit.Actions:

3.Work with USFS, CCCTB and Guanella Pass Scenic byway Committee to develop interpretative signs at the
footbridge to include a map of the trail system and information about habitat and watershed preservation, user
ethics and preservation of cultural resources.

4.Work with Town of Georgetown for interpretive signs at the remains of the Colorado Central Mill.

5.Request appropriate agencies to close reservoir crossing to all but administrative use.